The present invention relates to an installation kit for a heating system, and a method for installing a heating system, in a building. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus and a method for installing an oil or gas-fired hydronic boiler for a heating system. Such a boiler uses hot water or steam for heating a building, usually through a plurality of separate heating circuits in the building that create separately controllable heating zones.
The term “boiler” denotes a heating device, usually made of cast iron or steel, for transferring heat from an oil or gas flame (a “burner”) to a fluid heat transfer medium contained in the unit. Conventionally, a boiler heats water or an aqueous solution to produce steam or hot water for circulation throughout the building. Various well known commercial manufacturers produce boilers in various sizes and styles for heating residential and commercial buildings.
Boilers are normally sold as stand-alone units with a single return inlet port and a single feed outlet port for the water or aqueous solution.
In the case of a steam heating system, the steam pressure is sufficient to circulate the water through the radiators, baseboard heaters, radiant heating pipes, etc., within the building. In the case of a hot water heating system, the boiler normally includes a water circulator pump which pumps the water through the boiler and presents it at the outlet port or feed after it has been heated in the boiler.
It is conventional to provide several separate heating circuits throughout a building which may be separately controlled to produce either balanced heat in the building or, if desired, separate heating zones with different temperatures. For example, in a residential building, it may be desired to maintain certain portions of the residence at a reduced temperature to save energy while heating the occupied portions of the building at a more comfortable level.
When installing a heating system with multiple heating circuits in a building it is necessary to provide an inlet (return) manifold adjacent the boiler which receives the heating fluid medium (water) from each of the separate heating circuits and supplies the combined output of the heating circuits to the single inlet port of the boiler. Similarly, it is necessary to provide an outlet manifold, connected to the single outlet port (feed) of the boiler, which has a plurality of outlet pipes for presenting the heating fluid medium to each of the separate heating circuits of the building. Thermostatically controlled valves or pumps are provided at each outlet pipe to adjust the volume of the fluid medium passed through each circuit.
When installing a boiler on the floor of a building (usually the basement), the plumbing/heating professional normally brings the boiler unit as well as various pipes and other plumbing and electrical supplies to the building site. The boiler is first unloaded and placed in position for installation. Thereafter, the piping between the boiler and the previously installed heating circuits is constructed by cutting, connecting and soldering various pipes including those of the inlet manifold and outlet manifold. This installation procedure is a very time-consuming task, especially since the inlet and outlet manifolds must be separately constructed and attached in some way either to the boiler itself or to an adjacent wall.